A letter from Ethel Kennedy, the need of balance

Where were you?

People of a certain age (late 30s early 40s) will recall their parents saying “I always will remember where I was when Kennedy got shot”!, True to their word they would then state where they indeed were! usually with a slight wistful sadness The Kennedy shooting obviously affected my mother deeply, as only yesterday I found the acknowledgment from the White house for my Mother’s sympathy card (pic) in a pile of old papers.If you look closely the envelope of the card from Ethel Kennedy is actually handwritten and addressed to Mr & Mrs Ron Gray and family, Prestatyn England! How things change! Not only in the fact that the envelope was ACTUALLY hand written, (albeit by a secretary I would guess),but the fact that the post office actually delivered it!

Some 35 years later, the attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11, provided the world with another horrific and sudden shock of epic proportions. Everyone in September 2001 stopped what they were doing to watch this disaster unfold and Chris and I were no different! Chris had booked a skip for us to clear out the rubbish from Wynyard Road, and this tiny little wheelbarrow of a skip was delivered, which was no use to anyone. True to form (thinking myself Mr Practical) I was berating him for his mistake when the first news reports from New York started to come in and for the next eight hours I sat on the arm of the couch and Chris wandered around the living room both of us glued to the tv and the unfolding news. I can honestly say that I have never experienced so much disbelief and shock to a world event like I did that day and some of the visuals of the disaster still linger in my mind today. Like countless of others I will always remember where I was and what I was doing on September the 11th 2001.

(Interesting?) http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=98616

Look at Rhetto's comment on page 13!

My next comment perhaps won't be very popular! but I must admit I can see the other side of the argument in my more lucid moments! so before we start I apologise to the Kilners and Kirkhams !, hope you dont too antsy with me! I went to Sainsbury's this afternoon and the whole place seemed rather deserted. I parked ( as I occasionally do) in a spare parent parking space. Now I can understand why parents find these spaces useful (thanks Bev) and indeed in some ways safer than a regular shopping spaces BUT I feel that as a person without children, I am being penalised in a small but significant way! In the same vein I get incensed at car stickers that say Please drive carefully, baby on board! - as if you should drive more carelessly if say an 80 year old woman was in front of you! Anyhow I digress!, like I said I parked and as I walked into the store a large irate lady in the next bay called over. "Have you a child?" "No " I replied politely.

"Then can I park in your space?" She yelled. I looked round and saw that there was at least three parent parking spaces in my row so I pointed to them and replied "No...., but there are free ones here!" I guess I was a red rag to her bull as she was livid! and decided to embarrass me. "You should not park in these bays!" She yelled! and this pissed me off big style. I decided NOT to be embarrassed ( as a couple of people at the cashpoint has turned to watch) so I said in my loudest and clearest calm voice , "I am tired at people that CHOOSE to have children, thinking that they are automatically entitled to perks above others who do not! and who spend just as much at this supermarket as they do!" OK OK not the best grammar but It got my point across and with a middle aged, fat man's dignity I marched into the store!

Now I know and understand that parents do have a difficult time with the care of kids, and I am not against perks like these parking spaces being made available but I get so angry when people think of it as a God given right JUST because children are involved. Elderly people that perhaps are not quite knackered enough to be termed disabled have to used the "normal" spaces and it could be argued that they would benefit more from a nearer space than "more healthy" parents and their kids......whatever!

Anyway as I came out of the store the lady was nowhere in sight, but I did notice that all her children were sat in her car talking as their mom was in the store. She wasn't even using the space in the spirit that she had alluded to!

I wish I was more public minded, and recognise that getting so angry at peoples' behaviour like this is so unhealthy!.sorry peeps!

Postscript! Jonney e mailed me today (6.3.07) saying that we met up in the evening for the theatre and drinks on Sep 11th and he thought I was pretty normal! I find that each of our perceptions of the day interesting as I remember nothing of the evening out! strange what we recall and what we don't eh?